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Bill Madden (footballer)
| birth_place = | originalteam = West Melbourne | heightweight = | position = | death_date = | death_place = France | currentclub = | guernsey = | years = 1908-1909 | clubs = | games(goals) = 26 (14) | nationalyears = | nationalteams = | nationalgames(goals) = | coachyears = | coachclubs = | coachgames(wins) = | statsend = 1909 | repstatsend = N/A }} William Charles "Bill" Madden (18 November 1881 — 3 May 1917) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda. He was killed in action in France in 1917. Family He was married in 1904; and he and his wife, Dorothea Harriett Madden (?-1942),[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/47186779 Funeral Notices: Madden, The West Australian, (Monday, 30 March 1942), p.1.] née Surguy, had two children, Priscilla Victoria Madden, and William Leonard Madden.Service Record, p.21. Footballer At 26 years of age, he was cleared to St Kilda, from West Melbourne on 29 April 1908.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/10650339 Football: Permit Applications (W. Madden, West Melbourne to St. KiIda), The Argus, (Thursday, 30 April 1908), p.6.], and played his first senior match, in the first round, against Carlton, at Princes Park on 2 May 1908. Of the three St Kilda debutants, Madden, Bismarck Kulpa, and Alby Landt, he was considered to be "the most promising" of all the new St Kilda players.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/10678546 Football: Carlton Unchanged: A Powerful Team, The Argus, (Monday 4 May 1908), p.8.] Although not a tall man,He was measured at on his enlistment with the AIF (Service Record, p.4). he played as a backman, a forward, and a ruckman, with an equally high level of skill and performance during his senior VFL career. In his first season at St Kilda (1908) he played in every senior match, including the Semi-Final against Carlton, at the M.C.G. on 19 September 1908. Carlton thrashed St Kilda, by 58 points (12.12 (84) to 3.8 (26), Madden was selected as the forward pocket resting ruckman for St Kilda.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/10181938 Football: The Match of the Day, The Argus, (Saturday, 19 September 1908), p.17.] The match was played in extremely wet and muddy conditions, and the umpiring was of such a poor standard that St Kilda lodged a complaint.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/10193228 Football in the Rain: St. Kilda Badly Beaten: Carlton Win in Five Minutes, The Argus, (Monday, 21 September 1908), p.4.] In his second season (1909) he only played seven matches, the last of which, against Melbourne at the Junction Oval on 24 July 1908 (round thirteen) was only possible because he was needed to replace an unavailable player.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/10721882 Football: Melbourne's Rushing Win: Good Form by St. Kilda, The Argus, (Monday, 26 July 1909), p.5.] Cricketer He was also the wicket-keeper for the Brunswick Cricket Club.[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y_pUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d5IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7379%2C2957890 Deaths: On Active Service: Madden (inserted by "his comrades at the Brunswick Cricket Club"), The Age, (Saturday, 9 February 1918), p.7;] [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1638604 Died on Service: Madden (inserted by "his comrades at the Brunswick Cricket Club"), The Argus, (Saturday, 9 February 1918), p.11;] [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/10814951 Cricket: Sub-District, The Argus, (Monday, 2 November 1914), p.6;] [http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/378327 Cricket: Sub-District: Brunswick v. Camberwell, The Argus, (Monday, 9 November 1914), p.5.] Soldier Prior to enlisting in the First AIF on 30 March 1916, he had been employed as a tinsmith. Death He died in France on 3 May 1917. He was declared "missing in action" in May 1917; and his name appeared in the list of missing issued in June 1917.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1625352 Australian Casualties: List No. 310: Victoria: Missing (L.-Cpl. W. C. Madden, Brunswick), The Argus, (Thursday, 14 June 1917), p.5.] He was finally (officially) declared "Killed in Action" on 26 November 1917 after a Court of Inquiry had conducted an investigation into his case,Service Record, p.34. although the relevant casualty list was not published until February 1918.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1638540 Australian Casualties: List No. (382): Victoria: Killed in Action (Madden, L.-Cpl. W. C., Brunswick, 3/5/17), The Argus, (Saturday, 9 February 1918), p.19 (Note: the newspaper, mistakenly has the list no.328 in its headline printed);] [http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y_pUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d5IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7227%2C3006466 Australia's Roll of Honor (sic): 382nd Casualty List: Victoria: Killed in Action (Madden, Lance-Corp. W. C., Brunswick), The Age, (Saturday, 9 February 1918), p.14.] See also * List of Victorian Football League players who died in active service Footnotes External links * AFL/VFL Statistics: Bill Madden * Australian World War I Service Record: William Charles Madden (5397) * Australian War Memorial: Red Cross Wounded and Missing Records: 5397 Lance Corporal William Charles Madden 22nd Battalion * Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour — William Charles Madden (5379) Category:1881 births Category:1917 deaths Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Category:St Kilda Football Club players Category:West Melbourne Football Club players Category:Australian military personnel killed in World War I